The Witch with the Hairy Face

The farm where the woman lived was cursed. The rotting tree stump nearby was called “Neringensoets” because the stump made a sound like chewing cattle. Many animals died on the farm and many people became ill. The neighbors knew the evil came from the witch.

Although things improved much on the farm after the witch’s death, people regularly fell ill. The witch’s brother lay sick in bed for fifteen years. On Shrove Tuesday the boys always went around with ’rommelpot’. The piece of cake the boys received from the witch, they always threw away for safety. No one trusted what came from her hands.

A man was stopped three times on the road from Goolder to Bocholt-Damburg by the witch, disguised as a Capuchin and looking the man directly in the eyes from under his cap. The man knew this was no ordinary Capuchin - it was the witch in disguise. After these encounters, he was always careful on those roads.